Vending-machine.



W, E. 11ALES. VENDING MACHINE.

` PPLIUATION FILED JULY I I y l 96194., Y f 12 1909 Patented June 11,1910.

4 SHEETS-sum1 1.

Anuman@ ANnniw s. GRAHAM co.1111010111NOGRAPNERS.wAsmNGoN` un W. E. HALES.

VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 12, 1909.

961 6Q4 Patnted4 June 14,1910,

fm im y mnn ma ANDREW s. GRAHAM co.. PHoT-LITMOGRAPMERS.WASWNGTON. uc

W. E. HALES. VBNDING MACHINE.

APPLIUTON FILED JULY 12, 1909. 96 1,694.

Patented June 14, 1910.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

ANDREW a GRMAM co.. Pum'murnuuwAPHEns. wAsnlNGTnN, r.'4 a

W. E. HALES. VBNDING MACHINE. l APPLICATION FILED JULY 12, 1909. Y y 961,694, Patented June 14,1910.

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WILLIAM E. HALES, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF TWO-THIRDS TO ARZA. PORTER AND WILLIAM J'. WEAVER, BOTH OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

VENDING-MACI-IINE.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. HALEs, citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, county of Wayne, State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Vending-Machines, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanyin drawings, which form a part of this speci cation.

This invention relates to vending machines.

It has for its object an improved coin controlled vending machine, especially adapted for the exposure and sale of cigars from the original boxes or packages in which cigars are sold.

In the drawings z-Figure 1, is a sectional elevation of the vending machine. Fig. 2, is a detail of part of the expelling mechanism. Fig. 3, is a horizontal section at the line a-a of Fig. 1. Fig. l, is a sectional plan on an enlarged scale of the delivery box, looking in the direction of the arrow with the plates 39 and 20 removed. Fig. 5, is a side elevation of the internal mechanism from the coin chute. Fig. 6, is a side elevation of mechanism in the same coin chute. The two views of Figs. 5 and 6 are shown on opposite sides. The cover or casing is removed in both views. Fig. 7, is a detail of one-half of the box holder. Fig. 8, is a detail of the nal expelling mechanism. Fig. 9, is a perspective of the locating ring used to finally locate the turret in which the boxes of cigars are stored.

The cigars are packed in boxes 1, which are stored in a rotatable, prismatic turret mounted on a central post 2 that rises from a stationary base 3. The turret is provided with a floor 4, and there are openings 6 through the floor opposite each face of the turret. The openings are of a size to allow the cigars to drop from the box through the floor into a passage 7, through which they are forced in definite numbers to the outsideV of the case. There are two impulses required to transfer a cigar from the box to the pocket outside the turret. The box 1, with one end removed therefrom, is placed with its open top against the glazed side 8 of the turret, and with its open end arranged Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 12, 1909.

Patented June 14, 1910.

serial No. 507,045.

for the exit of the cigars therefrom over the opening 6 through the bottom 4: of the turret. The box is held in place by springs 10 that engage against the sides of the box, and a spring 11 that engages against the bottom, which is now in vertical position, and is turned toward the post 2. The cigars drop from the box into the passage 7 in front of a plunger 12 that, for purposes of lightness, is preferably made hollow, and is made of a vertical thickness to correspond with a single cigar, and with horizontal breadth to correspond with the depth of the cigar box to which the machine is adapted.

The expelling plunger 12 is pushed outward across the vertical part of the conduit or passage 7 under the end of the box by lengthwise movement of the rod 29 and pushes whatever cigars may be lying on the vertical part of the conduit out through the side opening 18, where they roll or drop by gravity down a short inclined passage 14 that is a continuation of the conduit, against a stop 15, leaving a definite number of cigars under an overhanging guard 17. On the return of rod 29 a trip pawl 4:0 mounted there* on actuates lifting fingers 18, which now lift a definite number of cigars from off the inclined head of the passage or conduit 7 over the stop 15, and through an aperture in the wall of the conduit 19 down which the cigars travel, and come to rest in a pocket 2O from which they may be removed manually, and over which extends a guard plate 39. On the opposite or right-hand side the box-supporting springs and the conduit members are similarly shown, but the box and the various movable members of the mechanism are omitted.

An understanding of the details of the mechanism will require an explanation first of the expelling mechanism, which has already been briey referred to, and next of the means for actuating the expelling mechanism, which is coin-controlled and partially coin-actuated, the coin being required to intervene between movable parts of the mechanism in order that the primary actuating lever may complete the chain of movements which result in expelling the cigars.

The turret is rotated manually, and may be rotated at any time, whether there is a coin in the coin passage-way or not, and it is therefore possible t0 turn the turret to select any one of the several varieties of cigars which are exposed for sale therein, since it is possible to expose a different brand of cigars opposite each one of the faces of the turret. The primary actuating lever 21, (which is pivoted at 211L to the vertically supported plate when a coin has been interposed inthe coin receptacle' 22, actuates the rod 23 through the medium of the pin 21b and lever 59, and pushes it inward toward the central post 2 of the machine; this movement places under tension a spring 24 which returns the rod 23' to itsy normal position as soon as it is released. The rod 23, cannot, however, be pushed inward unless the turret has beenv brought to rest with a ring 25 from the bottom in proper position to allow one of the several notches 26 on this ring to register with the pin 27v on the rod 23. When the ring is in position for this registration, the turret is in position to properlyl drop a cigar from one of the conduits or boxes through the opening in the ioor ofthe turret, and if the turret is not brought to the proper position for this the machine cannot be worked at all. When the rod 23 is pushed inward in the way described, it actuates an angle lever 28 pivoted to the base, and this in turn actuates an expelling rod 29. The rod 29 carries a post 30 on the top of which is a pawl or catch 31, and this pawl or catch 31 at times engages with the expelling plunger 12, and at times passes without engaging the expelling plunger 12. If there be on the inclined continuation of the conduit 14 a cigar or cigars, theV expelling plunger 12 is not actuated. If the inclined part of the conduit is empty, then the expelling plunger 12 is actuated. If there are cigars on the incline, they rest. primarily on the outer end 16 of a short lever, the inner end 34 of which otherwise hangs in front of a rod 33 that passes under or through the lower part of the expelling plunger; and

their weight resting on the outer end of the lever causes the inner end of the lever to rise above the path of the rod 33 and leaves the rod 33 free t0 move forward. On the under side of the rod 33 is a feather 35, which engages through a notch in the pawl 31, and allows the pawl 31 to travel with the rod 29 and slide along the under edge of the feather with the forward notched end of the pawl 31 held down in position shown by Fig. l, throughout the period of its travel; when this condition exists the two rods 29 and 35 travel together because the resistance to the expelling plunger 12 is greater than the. resistance to the rod 33. If, however, there is no weight on the lever end 16, the rod 33 is engaged by the lever 34, the rear end of the pawl 31 which is not cleft engages under the feather 35 and lifts the forward or cleft end upward, and brings it into' engagement with the expelling plunger 12, and forces it forward through the bottom end of theY conduit and forces Va layer of cigarsfrom the box into theV inclined a hanger 43 on the shaft of fingers 18 which acts as a rock arm on rock shaft 44 of the said fingers. The pawl 40 passes the hanger 43 on the outward movement, and engagesit on the return movement when the rod is brought back to its normal position by the force of the springs 46 and 47. The rod 33 is brought back to its normal position by linger 48, which engages against a collar 50 on the rod. The fingers 18 swing through notches 58 in the incline 14 and stop 15.

In Figs. 5 and 6 the frame plate and included mechanism only is shown; the frame here consists of a plate 70 with levers on each side of the frame, andwith parts that reach through the plate to perform their functions; for convenience I will call the sidealong which the coin travels the front, and the opposite side the rear; on the front is a coin chute between overhanging guides 71 and 72 that.are secured to the frame plate. Below the chute, and parallel with it is a roel; shaft 52 mounted in. bearings 53 and 54; at the top end therock shaft carries a rocl' arm 51,. and at the. end of the arm is a pin 50 that normally reaches across the chute and acts as a stop for the coin at the bottom end the shaft is provided with a second arm that reaches through thev frame plate 70 into the path of an arm 61 of the lever 59; on the lower end of the shaft 52 is a coin dropper` 64 which is provided with aA turned or thickened edge 164; the coin cornes to rest in front of this dropper with the lower edge still engaged behind the lower guide 72 and the upper edge of the coin engaged against a stop 73. The dropper` has a corner cut away so that it can swing by the stop 73; the dropper is held against a finger 74 by a spring 75. A finger 7 6: mounted on rod 23 presses the dropper over until the coin is disengaged from stop 73, when it drops by gravity. The lever 21 is pivoted to the plate 7 0: on the front side` thereof and is pro-vided with a rock arm 56 and ratchet 57 with which engages a l complete throw pawl 67; to an arm of the lever` 21 isl pivoted a lever 59, which is on the rear face of the plate 70, with the connect-ing pin between the two engaging through a slot 96; the upper end ofthe lever 59 is provided with a pin 60 that engages behind acoin 80; this pin reaches through a slot in the plate; the lower end of the lever engages with and actuates the rod 24 with which it has a pin and slot connection; an arm 61 extends from the lower end forward and engages with and actuates the rock arm 62 on the rock shaft 52.

What I claim is :d

l. In a vending machine, in combination with a storage casing wherein a quantity of articles to be vended may be stored, said casing being apertured for delivery purposes at the bottom, a horizontally movable member normally out of engagement with the casing and its contents, means whereby said member may be actuated against the lowermost of the stored articles to effect their displacement from the storage casing, a holding trough into which the articles fall when first displaced, and a lifting member adapted to be actuated by the return movement of said horizontally movable member, whereby the displaced articles are expelled from said holding trough, substantially as described.

2. A vending machine having in combination with a storage casing, horizontally movable means for forcing a predetermined f number of the articles stored therein into the delivery portion thereof, means actuated by the movement of said last-mentioned means for completing the ejection of the articles from the casing, and manually actuatable means for imparting a movement to the delivery mechanism, substantially as described.

3. In combination with a casing wherein lvarious classes of articles may be accessibly stored separate from one another, a hori zontally reciprocatory member adapted to force a predetermined number of articles of the class selected from their previous place of storage, a holding trough into which the articles fall when thus displaced, means for preventing the engagement of said reciprocatory member against said articles unless said member and the casing are in proper relative position, and means actuated by the return movement of the reciprocating member for eiiecting the displacement and delivery of the articles deposited in the holding trough, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM E. HALES.

Witnesses:

CHARLES F. BURTON, WILLIAM M. SWAN. 

